Portable time stamp



Sept. 1, 1959 J. E. wAY

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E. WAY

United States Patent O PORTABLE TIME STAMP James E. Way, Cleveland, Chio, assignor to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application December 29, 1953, Serial No. 400,915

2 Claims. (Cl. 346-92) This invention relates generally to stamping or recording devices and particularly to devices suitable for obtaining a printed record of the time, or of any other recording information.

In the time stamp devices of the prior art the synchronous time keeping mechanism is usually contained in the portable stamp head and this construction requires the attachment of a power cord to the stamp head assembly in order to provide the power for driving the time keeping mechanism. The base of the stamp contains only the inking pad. The primary advantage of the time stamp of this invention is in the fact that the synchronous time keeping mechanism is included in the base while the time recording mechanism is included in the head and is driven from the synchronous time keeping mechanism through a magnetic coupling. The present construction prevents any damage to the synchronous time keeping mechanism in the event of rough handling of the stamp head during a time stamping operation and eliminates the inconvenience of having the power cord connected to the stamp head.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved time recorder in which the time recording mechanism is contained in a removable stamp head and the synchronous time keeping mechanism is contained in a base, the time recording mechanism being driven by the synchronous time keeping mechanism through means of a magnetic coupling.

Another object of the invention is to provide a stamping device in which the synchronous time keeping mechanism is not subjected to impact shock during the stamping operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a stamping device which can be easily transported manually for the stamping operation.

Other objects of the invention will be pointed out in the' following description and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose, by way of example, the principle of the invention and the best mode, which has been contemplated, of applying that principle.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view taken along lines 1 1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the entire recorder with the cover of the recording head unit broken away to show the date recording mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the base unit when the recording head unit is removed.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing an example of the data recorded during a stamping operation.

Brieily, the device of the present invention comprises al recording head unit and a base unit which includes the driving mechanism. When the recording unit is in place on the base unit, the synchronous time keeping or driving mechanism is magnetically coupled to the time recording mechanism to maintain a time indicator at the proper time interval position. In order to elcct a stamping operation the head unit is removed from the base unit and the stamping devices are brought into contact with the surface to be stamped.

Referring now to the drawing, the recorder of this invention is shown in Fig. 1 as comprising two separable units generally designated 10 and 11. The recording head unit 10 has a housing 12 which encloses the working parts. This housing is formed with a turned-in flange portion 12a whose outer contour cooperates with the inner contour of a liange 13a extending upwardly from a housing .1.3 which supports the working parts of base unit 11. When the two units are assembled the flanges 13a and 12a provide for center alignment of the driving and driven parts. The base unit 11 is supported on four feet members 29 which are secured to the housing 13 (Fig. 3).

A synchronous motor 14 drives a shaft 15 in time increments through reduction gearing generally designated 16. The shaft 15 is mounted for rotation in a sleeve 17. A permanent magnet 18 is carried by a cylindrical support member 60 secured on shaft 15 (Figs. 1 and 3). A spacing plate 19 of non-magnetic material extends between the side walls of member 60 to provide a small air gap between the magnet 18 and a cooperating magnet located on the recording unit as described hereinafter. An ink pad 20 is mounted on a support member 21 which is formed integrally with the housing 13.

The recording head unit 10 is formed with a cylindrical portion 22 which supports the time recording mechanism. A shaft 23 is mounted for rotation in a bearing block 24 which is fastened to the bottom of cylinder 22 through an outwardly extending iiange 24a. A disc 25 is secured on an upper threaded portion 23a of shaft 23 and bears on a hardened Washer 26. Beneath the washer on shaft 23 is a plate 27, and a coil spring 28 extends between this plate and the ange 24a to continually urge the shaft 23 upwardly.

The lower thread portion 23b of shaft 23 has secured thereon a pair of plates 31 and 32 and a permanent magnet 33 fastened thereto by a nut 34. It is to be noted that magnets 13 and 35 are oppositely magnetized as shown by the designations N and S which indicate a north and south pole respectively. Thus, with the assembly as shown in Fig. 1 the magnets are in complementary position.

The plate 31 is adapted to frictionally engage the under-surface of bearing ange 24a when shaft 23 is raised under pressure of spring 28. The bottom tip 23e of shaft 23 cooperates with the spacing plate 19 to provide the aforementioned air gap between magnets 18 and 33. A resilient annular ring 35 is secured to a plate 36 which extends between the side walls of housing 12 and is positioned to be concentric with the shaft 23. The plate 36 has cut-out portions through which the recording mechanisms project. The ring 35 is provided with twelve equally spaced printing elements 37 which represent the usual hourly divisions and are so arranged as to transfer an impression of a dial to a surface to be printed or stamped. These elements receive ink from the pad 20 while the recording unit 10 is in place on the base unit 11 because the elements 37 are then in contact with the pad. A permanently inked pad 38 is fastened to the plate 32 and carries a printing element 39 having an impression face formed as an arrow. This printing element is moved by shaft 23 to transfer an arrow impression on a stamping operation which indicates the proper hour on the dial printed by elements 37.

Referring now to Fig. 2, it is seen that the outer surface of housing 12 is provided with a dial 40 having radial hourly markings designated 41. The disc 25 carries an arrow member or pointer 42 which is in 3 vertical alignment with the arrow impression face of element 39 (Fig. 1) and indicates the hour according to the position of the element 39. A window 43 is positioned above the disc 25 and may be made from any transparent material to permit a visual indication of the hourly markings 41. The twelfth hour marking is indicated by the arrow 42 in Fig. 2.

Mounted on the plate 36 are two parallel frame plates 45 and 46, as shown (Fig. 2) which support most of the date recording mechanism. A rod 47 is supported between frame plates 45 and 46. A set of wheels 48 (Fig. 1) is mounted for rotation on rod 47 and each wheel has a disc 49 secured thereto. The periphery of each disc is provided with a serrated surface to facilitate manual adjustment of the related Wheel 48 through a recessed opening in housing 12 to bring the individual Iband elements 51 into operative position with their irnpression faces at the printing line. An endless flexible band 50 having a plurality of elements designated 51 thereon to indicate the year, month, day of the month and am. and pm. indicia is passed around each wheel 48 and drawn over a bar 52 which is supported between the side walls of housing 12. The heads 51 in stamping position are inked by the pad 20' while the recording unit is in place on the base unit 11. A spring blade -53 is provided 4for each disc 49 to frictionally engage the serrated surface and hold the related wheel 48 against rotation. The blades 53 extend upwardly from a plate 54 which is fastened to the support plate 36. A resilient strip 55 is secured to the underside of plate 36 and is formed With a plurality of printing elements 56 (Fig. 2) which can indicate any desired information such as a company name and address. These elements receive ink rfrom the pad 20 in the same manner as the printing elements 37 Operation of the device In normal operating position the recording head unit 10 is resting in place on the base unit 11 and the mating surfaces of magnets 18 and 33 are magnetically locked together. However, when the recording unit 10 is removed for a stamping operation, the shaft which is moved constantly by motor 14 to make one revolution every 12 hours, continues to rotate magnet 18. The magnet 33 on the other hand remains stationary during the stamping operation. When the recording unit 10 is again placed on the base unit 11 the driving magnet 18 attracts the driving magnet 33 and the shaft 23 is lowered against the action of spring 28 until the spacing discs 19 and 34 meet to provide the air gap between these magnets. These magnets will automatically become aligned and in driving synchronism when closed together because as the mating surfaces approach each other, the magnetic force will tend to align them in true complement. This angular movement caused by the magnetic attraction between the two opposite poles will move the element 39 to its proper indicating position with relation to ring 35 and in accordance with the position of the driving shaft 15. It is thus apparent that during each brief stamping operation there is angular displacement between the magnets, and that the magnets are aligned again as a result of the magnetic attraction between the opposite poles of the respective magnets when the recording unit 10 is replaced on the base unit. As shaft 15 rotates the magnet 18 pulls magnet 33 and shaft 23 along with it to rotate shaft 23 at the same -rate of speed as shaft 15. The plate 32 moves with shaft 23 to keep the arrow impression face of element 39 pointing toward the proper hour designation on the ring 35.

At the start `of each day the date recording mechanism is adjusted manually by rotating the discs 49 until the proper elements 51 are brought to the stamping position.

In order to effect a stamping operation the recording head unit 1t) is removed from the base unit 11. The magnetic coupling of magnets 18 and 33 is broken thereby and shaft 23 moves upwardly in the recording unit under pressure of spring 28 until plate 31 presses against the under-surface of bearing flange 24a to hold the shaft in place. The printing element 39 is thus held radially stable for recording. Since the various stamping devices are already inked when unit 10 is separated from unit 11 the recording operation is completed by bringing these stamping devices into contact with the surface to be stamped. In Fig. 4 an example of the type of information recorded is shown. It should be noted that the recording of the hour is approximate, since it is not within the scope of this invention to provide a time stamp giving the precise hourly time. The recording unit 1i) is then replaced on the base unit 11 and magnets 18 and 33 are again aligned and magnetically coupled to bring the driven shaft 23 into registration for indicating the proper hour designation on ring 35.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims:

What is claimed is:

1. A time stamp comprising a base and a removable head, a first permanent magnet rotatably mounted in said base, time responsive means within the base driveably connected to said first magnet to position the same to represent time by the position thereof, a second permanent magnet rotatably mounted in said head coaxial with the rst magnet, a ring of printing elements fixed in said head in coaxial relationship to said second permanent magnet, an inking means supported on said base, said printing elements being engaged by said inking means when said head is in position on said base, and a second printing element secured to rotate with said second magnet and adapted to sweep said ring of printing elements, magnetic attraction between the poles of said magnets causing the second magnet to be rotatably aligned with the first magnet to represent the same time, whereby the two printing elements are effective to transfer their respective configurations to effect a time record upon a record medium when the head is removed from its base and positioned in contact with the record medium.

2. The mechanism set forth in claim 1, in which guide means is provided to direct the placement of the head on the base with the said two permanent magnets in axial alignment.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 917,893 Purdy Apr. 13, 1909 1,007,672 Clarke Nov. 7, 1911 1,280,175 Daniells et al. Oct. 1, 1918 1,372,911 Schmidt Mar. 29, 1921 2,475,573 Smith et al. July 5, 1949 2,568,348 McCauley Sept. 18, 1951 2,757,062 Hood July 31, 1956 2,810,623 Kropp Oct. 22, 1957 

